


Intermission

by 6romide



Series: The Aegis Arc [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Aegis bond, Alternate Universe, Bonds, Deathly Hallows, Intermission, Lily forgives Severus, M/M, Masturbation, Portals, Snape is dead, Time Travel, Unspeakable Hermione Granger, could read standalone, crushes on textbooks, harry is jonathon but names are confusing, politician riddle, soul bonds, soul marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:00:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27592403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/6romide/pseuds/6romide
Summary: Tom Riddle believes he knows what he wants. Thrown back in time and space, Tom gives Jonathon Potter, the only son of Lily and James, everything the boy has ever wanted, things Jonathon didn’t even know he desired. Jonathon is molded into the perfect partner for the Dark Lord, attends Hogwarts, and grows up with his parents alive. And yet, Tom often has a faraway look in his eyes, and a single question haunts Jonathon at night...Who is Severus Snape?Note: this can be read stand-alone
Relationships: Harry Potter/Severus Snape, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Harry Potter/Voldemort, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Series: The Aegis Arc [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2016265
Comments: 12
Kudos: 44





	1. His Intended

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lomonaaeren](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lomonaaeren/gifts).



> This is the short intermission between Aegis in the Abyss and The Abyss Stared Back. You may notice that at the time of release, Aegis in the Abyss is not yet completed, but that will be remedied in due time. This work is gifted to Lomonaaren who has written many brilliant stories about portals and alternate universes.

Tom came upon the house in Godric's Hollow. It was a full moon tonight, and the power of that danced upon his skin. This was the night he had first established his connection with the Potter child, and so, the bond had tossed him, hurtling through time and space, to this precise moment. Moments before midnight.

He would not make the same mistake again.

The Potters were lounging in their house, unsure when the Dark Lord would strike. They trusted Peter Pettigrew to hold their secret, and yet, James Potter was prepared, his wand always in his hand. Lily too was hypervigilant, keeping her darling son by her side. Jonathon was barely a year old now, with beautiful light hazel eyes like his father's. He had straight black hair, traits from the Black family that ran through the Potter lineage, only appearing from time to time. How could such a monster want to kill her child? She would rather die.

Tom wondered what would happen if he knocked. He had not knocked the last time, but then, he hadn't looked quite like himself the last time. Now, he was Tom Riddle in a much younger body, his handsome features restored as his soul had been pieced back together once again. His eyes were even black, no longer tinted with the scarlet of fresh blood. How he had missed being _alive_.

Tom strode to the front door. And knocked.

"James?" That was Lily's voice. She clutched Jonathon to her chest and stood up. "Are you expecting Albus tonight?"

James had tensed, wand aimed at the door. He automatically took a defensive stance in front of his wife. They waited…but no spells went flying. No bangs or blasts. James and Lily shared a look. Lily nodded and sent her patronus, silent as could be, bounding out the back door. Tom raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw the doe rushing out the back towards Hogwarts no doubt. _Another piece to the puzzle_. It was no wonder then why Severus had betrayed him for Dumbledore. He understood love now, now that the horcrux from the Harry Potter of his world was absorbed within him, safe and sound.

He knocked again. A wordless _alohomora_ followed, and then he sensed the webs of protection wards around the property and easily cut through them like butter. What fragile protection trust was. He remembered how Wormtail had so eagerly groveled at his feet and divulged the location of the Potter's last hiding spot. But that was many, many years ago…

Tom Riddle stepped inside the house. James blinked at him, uncomprehending, for he did not look like Voldemort, and he was not making any move to attack them.

"Who are you?" Lily whispered. Her emerald green eyes were so expressive, so open…

James kept his wand trained on the intruder, almost jumping when the Dark Lord kneeled upon the ground.

"I am your son's intended and I shall protect him with my life."

"Your name?" James demanded after exchanging another sidelong glance with Lily.

"Tom Riddle," he said, a smirk twisting his mouth.

"Are you a Death Eater?" Lily questioned. She took a step forward, wand held at the ready. "How did you find us?"

"Ah, all good questions…and all in good time."

Tom stood up smoothly just as he sensed the arrival of Dumbledore and whatever Order members he had managed to gather at this godforsaken time.

"Tom, my boy," Albus said, stepping into the residence. At his side was Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Tom fought the urge to roll his eyes. It was a wonder Harry Potter had survived as long as he did with this man as his protector, but then, it was true that Albus was able to make him shiver. The pure power the headmaster contained was enough to earn some respect, and Tom begrudgingly gave it, now that he had his sanity intact. "What a fortunate happenstance that we should meet."

"Albus, do you know this man?" James asked, his tone polite as he addressed the headmaster.

"Indeed, I do," Albus said. "I believe you know him better as Lord Voldemort?"

In a second, wands rose up and sparks flew through the air. It was only Tom's quick reflexes that shielded him in a vibrant and reverberating blue shield. "I do not go by that name any longer," Tom said calmly over the chaos.

Only Albus had held his wand instead of shooting off a curse. He raised a hand and the spells stopped flying. They looked to him in confusion.

"Please explain why you are here tonight then, Tom, if not for young Mr. Potter here."

Tom nodded, glancing at the bundle in Lily's arms. "But I _have_ come for Mr. Potter." The room tensed, but Albus' hand held study. "But that is only…because I love him."

"Albus, you can't trust him!" Sirius was shouting.

But Albus was rooted to the spot. "That is quite a surprising declaration coming from you, Tom. I had once heard you say that love was for fools. In fact, I believe you tortured the man who so much as suggested you spare Lily Potter due to such a weakness as love."

That news sunk in slowly and Lily Potter nearly fainted. "S-severus, he-?"

But Tom ignored her. "I admit I was not in my right mind then."

"And now you are?" Sirius growled.

Tom silenced him with a flick of his wand. "I will do better than that even, headmaster. I would beg your mercy. I have only come to ensure that Jonathon Potter's every desires, every needs are met. He means more to me than all the stars in the universe. He shall have his parents and his godparents," he nodded to each in turn, "And he shall have me."

"You can't have him," James said, shaking his head.

"Ah, but you see, I already do," Tom said. Albus watched him like a hawk as Tom slowly approached the mother and child. "Check his wrist," Tom ordered.

 _How does he know about the birthmark?_ Lily wondered, her gentle hand wrapping around her baby's small arm. "It means nothing," Lily said, backing away.

"Does it?" Tom asked. He pulled his own sleeve up and Lily's gasp sounded like a gunshot around the house. Tom smiled in triumph. Even time and space could not interfere with sacred things like bonds and souls. This was why his soul was intact as it was in his original world, and why the soul bond between the Potter child now and he still existed.

"What does that mean?" James asked, his voice growing more panicked. He looked desperately to Albus, who only stared at the matching silver marks with a heavy sigh. "You know what it is?" James asked him.

"It is the Aegis," Albus said, "And it looks to be complete." His eyes turned sharp as he regarded Riddle before him. "You are not from this universe are you, my boy?"

"No," Tom replied. "I have already lived and fallen in love and now that we have invoked the power of the Aegis to open a portal, I intend to make up for all the mistakes of my past."

"Albus, what is he talking about?" Remus asked softly. "That looks like a bonding mark."

"That's because it is," Albus said. "The Dark Lord will mark him as his equal…" Albus' ice blue eyes met Tom's, appraising him as if he were no more than a wayward student. "I'm afraid he is correct, Lily and James. Tom is Jonathon's bonded and they must be together or else Jonathon will be driven into madness."

"He can't take my baby," Lily hissed.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Tom said. "But for Jonathon's sake, we must reach an arrangement. Without physical touch, we will both die of madness."

"Unless the enemy is eliminated," Albus mused, his eyes hard behind his spectacles. "Tell me, Tom, who is this enemy you wish Jonathon to eliminate for you?"

Tom shook his head. "The enemy has already been eliminated," Tom said. "It was originally Lord Voldemort, but my existence in this world has already negated his very being here. In other words, the Aegis is simply a bond, a bond with a pull, but a bond without any significant power. We have already used all of it up, just in sending me here…"

Albus considered that and nodded. His eyes held a twinkle in them, as he always imagined that love would conquer all in the end. It so warmed him to be right. Then Albus gestured for everyone to take a seat in the Potters' living room.

"The war is officially over," Albus smiled at them all. "Ah, the Aegis, a powerful tool to be sure, certainly one I had considered, and it seems I did, in another time and space." He was patting himself on the back for his own cleverness.

Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus all sat awkwardly on the couch as Tom sat in the armchair, next to Dumbledore.

"Well, we'll just have to adapt, hmm?" Albus conjured a contract out of thin air, stating the soul bond between Jonathon Potter and Tom Riddle. "Now…"

Negotiations continued well into the night, and even Tom was looking quite exhausted by the end of it.

Everyone was just about to leave the Potters' residence, when Lily held Tom back, her emerald eyes, so like Harry's blazing. "I'm doing what's best for Jonathon," she said, her chin jutting up with the courage of a lioness. "You hurt him, and I will personally see to it that you die a long and painful death."

The irony did not escape him, and memories from a long time ago came back to echo in his mind. _Not Harry, please, not Harry…_

Tom dipped his head to hide his fluctuating emotions. "I promise, I will give Jonathon everything he has ever wanted, everything he has ever desired, even things he doesn't even know he longs for."

And then Tom stepped back out into the night alone. He gazed up at the stars, their light reaching him from so far away. It was a new world for him to conquer, but one he would rule by charisma and charm, with his intended by his side. He hadn't lied to Lily. Every word was true, for he knew the pain Harry had always kept in his heart, had felt it first hand as his soul rubbed against Harry's growing up. He would never allow Jonathon to be hurt, not ever again, not by his hand or anyone else's.

With that thought in mind, he disapparated with a pop and landed in Spinner's End. It was a night ripe for killing, after all. Severus Snape, his dark eyes hiding the intelligence that brewed there, the intelligence that swept Harry Potter from him, the man who had stolen Harry Potter's heart, the man who could not be allowed to have that chance with Jonathon.

Tom Riddle raised his wand.

_"Avada Kedavra."_


	2. Better Be Slytherin!

Jonathon Potter stood still as Tom admired him. He never fully understood why Tom made his heart skip a beat, or why he put his parents on edge. All he knew was that he and Tom belonged together and he had the silver mark to prove it.

"Are you ready to go to Hogwarts this year?" Tom asked him.

Jonathon dipped his head. His hair was short and straight, and his hazel eyes shone out from his pale skin, his features delicate, making him look feminine next to the Malfoy boy.

"I am, Tom."

"And do you know what house you will be in?"

Jonathon's composure fell for a second, but then he smoothed his features over. He had been taught by Aunt Narcissa and Uncle Lucius how a proper wizard held themselves, and he would be the best wizard for his soulmate.

"My mom and dad insist I will be in Gryffindor like them…"

"You hesitate, why?" Tom asked, his finger lifting Jonathon's chin up so that their eyes met.

"I believe you would want me to be in Slytherin. After all, it was your house…"

"I would love you regardless," Tom said, his voice soft whenever he spoke to him. "Wherever the sorting hat places you is where you belong."

"You say that, but…" Jonathon couldn't help but feel like he was drowning. Tom made him feel so important, so special, and while Draco absorbed attention like a sponge, Jonathon was just made differently. He was confident, yes, the wizarding world hailed him as the Boy Who Ended the War, but he was desperate to please Tom, and Tom never gave him any indication of how he was doing. Simply… seemed content being with him. It unnerved him. Jonathon focused on a spot on the wall opposite him as he asked the question that had been bothering him for a while. "What house was Harry in?"

Tom shook his head delicately. "You are not he," Tom said softly. "It doesn't much matter."

Jonathon heaved a sigh. The only time Tom ever became upset was when he mentioned the _other world_ , the world that Tom had come from. He knew there was a Harry Potter in that world, but Tom refused to talk of him. All he knew was that a man named Severus Snape had to die because of something he did in that _other world_ , and while his father hadn't loved the man, his mother had been distraught, and continued to distrust Tom to this day because of that.

"I understand," Jonathon said, sounding disappointed. He looked towards the window. "Draco should be here soon, if I may go, Tom."

Tom nodded once. He had shared custody of the boy until Jonathon turned seventeen, an adult in the eyes of the wizarding world. This weekend, the one right before he would board Jonathon on the Hogwarts Express, was his. He'd see Lily and James on the platform of course, but for now, Jonathon was his, free to roam Riddle Manor, a place of light and life. The dungeons had been turned into play rooms and lounges. The throne room was simply the ball room, one he used frequently to host galas for the Ministry as he worked his way up the political ladder. So much had changed…

As Jonathon's hand lingered on the doorknob, as if he would turn around and ask something else, Tom gave in.

"Gryffindor…"

Jonathon nodded once, and left, shutting the door soundlessly behind him.

-o-o-o-

"Ah, an intelligent mind, I see," the hat said, its voice amused. "Cunning, yes, and a thirst to prove yourself, and what's this? Courage, yes, courage in droves."

"Not Gryffindor," Jonathon said to the hat. It didn't matter that James and Sirius would be disappointed, Lily less so. He couldn't stand the Harry that Tom remembered, couldn't bear to be held up against the phantom that was.

"Not Gryffindor, eh? But you would do well there," the hat sighed. "You have a daring about you, though you have never been able to express it. Your every need met, you have not had the chance to fight for what you wanted."

"That's not my fault," Jonathon protested.

"No, I imagine it's not," the hat replied somberly. "Well, if it's the Dark Lord's heart you want to win, better be SLYTHERIN!"

The hat was pulled off his head by Professor McGonagall who observed him with curiosity. "Off you run, Mr. Potter."

Jonathon joined Draco at the Slytherin table. He was welcomed with thunderous applause. Of course, they all knew who his bonded was. Even if they didn't understand who _exactly_ Tom Riddle was, they knew he was a new political powerhouse and that gave Jonathon status. It also didn't hurt that he was the Boy Who Ended the War…

"Knew you'd get in," Draco beamed. "Can't wait to tell mother and father!"

-o-o-o-

Jonathon was called to the headmaster's office soon after the start of the term. He thought it had something to do with Tom Riddle making a surprise appearance and gifting the Slytherin team with all new brooms, and wondered if Tom would ever let anyone forget that they were bonded.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, right on time. Lemon drop?" The headmaster looked at him with kind, twinkling blue eyes. "I hope you're enjoying Hogwarts so far."

Jonathon politely declined the treat. Tom had drilled it into him that he was not to imbibe anything the headmaster gave him, though he seemed to trust him enough to keep Jonathon safe.

"It's been wonderful, sir," Jonathon said tentatively. "Is…is this about the brooms?"

Dumbledore laughed, "No, not at all. In fact, I must thank Tom for his generous donation after I convinced him to donate brooms for _all_ the teams."

"Oh…" Jonathon wanted desperately to fidget under the headmaster's intense stare, but it was a habit that was forced out of him by Narcissa's lessons in etiquette. It wasn't like the headmaster wasn't a frequent visitor at the Potter house, but it was often to see his parents, not him. Being in this office, surrounded by the hum of magic and the intricate instruments that buzzed and whirled all around reminded him sharply of his own insignificance. No wonder Tom respected the headmaster. Albus Dumbledore was not simply a chocolate frog card character, but a man who had defeated his own Dark Lord. "What is this about then, sir?"

Albus nodded. "I confess that it isn't any official school business but something of a more personal nature. As a close friend of your mother's and father's, I wanted you to know that you could come to me if you needed anything…anything at all."

Jonathon shivered. "You're talking about Tom, aren't you?"

Albus inclined his head. "Whatever you need, my boy. I am here. For instance, do you have any questions right now that you would like to ask me? Perhaps questions you would rather Tom not hear?"

"I…" He flushed. If there was anyone who could keep a secret from Tom it would be the man in front of him. It was a moment of weakness, he supposed, but he charged forward anyway. "I was wondering, sir, if you knew anything about the world that Tom came from."

"Ah…a very good question, Mr. Potter." Albus stroked his beard thoughtfully. "There is nothing I know for sure, however, I would be happy to share what I think."

"Yes, please," Jonathon said. His body was practically shaking. He never broke rules at home, never spoke back to Tom or the Malfoys, never so much as sneezed the wrong way. He felt _alive_.

"Now, you must understand, Mr. Potter, that we cannot change the past, nor can we simply jump worlds as Tom has done, as the Aegis has already been used…So perhaps I should start at the beginning."

Jonathon sat there as the old wizard described the world as it was twelve years ago, when the Dark Lord Voldemort still roamed the land. "We thought that Lord Voldemort would kill you that Halloween night," Albus said. "And I suspect that in this other world, he tried."

"But no one can survive the killing curse," Jonathon protested, "And I know for a fact that Harry lived."

"Harry?" Albus looked surprised. "Tom has told you a little about him then?"

"No," Jonathon said bitterly. "That's a life's work of whittling the truth out of him. I only know that his name was Harry…and that he was sorted into Gryffindor."

Albus seemed to understand something then as he glanced at the sorting hat on the shelf, perhaps even correctly deducing why Jonathon was not currently in the house of the lions.

"Well, I suspect that this Harry survived and marked him as Voldemort's equal." Jonathon instinctively rubbed his wrist, where the silver mark was branded into his skin. Albus continued, "I am not sure what happened during his school years, but undoubtedly Lord Voldemort and this Harry Potter continued to cross paths, eventually I suppose, falling in love. Although…it is interesting that this Harry did not end up in this world. I have studied the Aegis extensively and bonded pairs usually travel worlds together. Like yin and yang, the harmony of two works best with traveling via portal. It is often called the Rule of Two."

"I don't understand," Jonathon said, hating himself as his voice shook. "Why would Voldemort and Harry Potter fall in love if Voldemort tried to kill him?"

"Another good question," Albus said. "But alas, I am just as in the dark as you."


	3. The Half-Blood Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would have just called Jonathon "Harry" in this world, but then it would have just got too confusing in The Abyss Stared Back. Jonathon is basically Harry though.

Longbottom barreled headfirst into the shelf as the Slytherins chortled. The potion had exploded in bright vibrant colors of reds and blues and greens. Longbottom coughed, trying to pick himself off the floor, surrounded by old, dusty textbooks.

Slughorn groaned. "You added the lacewing flies too early, Longbottom! Clean up the mess you made!"

"Yes, sir! Sorry, sir!"

Neville flushed and started to pick up the books that had been knocked off the shelf, when a body descended beside him. "Oh, Jonathon!" Neville exclaimed. "You don't have to help me. Clumsy, it's my own fault, I know…"

"Nonsense," Jonathon smiled. He began helping the boy to place the books back on the shelf. His parents spoke very highly of the Longbottom family, knowing what they had sacrificed for the war, so Jonathon had tried his best to help him whenever he could.

Jonathon reached for the next book, when a small inscription caught his eye. _Property of the Half-Blood Prince_. He waited until Neville was distracted by a particularly violent sneeze, before slipping the book into his backpack. He didn't know why, but something was calling to him…Tom had warned him about magical artifacts, such as diaries that could write back, but nothing exciting ever happened to Jonathon. There were no attacks on their lives, haunted professors, or mountain trolls. Tom took care of his every need, made sure he had the very best supplies and the latest broom. Perhaps it was the reckless daring of the Gryffindor inside him that did it…

That night, Jonathon lay awake in bed, riveted to the textbook. The handwriting was so distinct, so spidery. And the Prince knew _so much_. He must have been a potions genius…

A bolt of fear had him sitting straight up in his bed. Only one person came to mind. His mother had gone on and on about her Severus, about how he was her first friend growing up, making Aunt Petunia back off, and how he had this habit of writing in his textbooks. After Severus had died, he had become something of a saint in the Potter household, much to his father's distaste. Tom had never admitted to anything, of course, but Lily had made it her personal mission that Jonathon knew of Severus' legacy, as if their friendship had never suffered.

Jonathon held tight to the book now, knowing that he could not possibly let Tom know of it. What about Severus had made him so dangerous for Tom to kill? Why was he so tight lipped about him all the time? According to Uncle Lucius, the death had been a surprise to them all. Severus was so _loyal_ , after all, so talented, so full of raw power…Lucius had even been jealous of him, once upon a time, vying for the Dark Lord's favor. All that was water under the bridge now…

Jonathon kept the book tucked under his pillow, locked under the strongest wards he knew, and every night, he read the Prince's words, and imagined the man who had to have written them. _Severus…_

-o-o-o-

Hermione Granger growled in frustration as Jonathon handed in yet another perfect potion. It didn't matter that the boy had been tutored from birth, he had never shown an aptitude quite like this in potions before now.

"You better not be cheating," Hermione groused as they sat together by the Great Lake. Jonathon appreciated Hermione's intelligence and calm. It didn't matter that she was a muggleborn as Tom would have called her, though Uncle Lucius would have used the other m-word. He knew that Tom was a half-blood like himself and that blood politics was just that—politics. It meant nothing in the end. Only power mattered.

"I'm not," Jonathon tried to reassure her. "It's just well…I got this book."

"Jonathon!" Hermione pushed him on the shoulder. "Tell me!"

"It's not a book you can buy," Jonathon said softly. "Promise me though that you won't tell a soul."

Her eyes darkened. "It's not illegal, is it?"

"No, no…It's just, Tom wouldn't approve."

Hermione nodded, her face falling. She knew the rumors, knew that Tom Riddle was a man of great power and influence who protected his bondmate ferociously. When rumors began to circulate that the Lestrange family planned to retaliate against the Potters, thinking that Jonathon had somehow corrupted their lord, the entire family had _disappeared_.

"Are you sure you should be telling me, then?" Hermione asked nervously.

"I—Hermione, it's driving me crazy, keeping it bottled up inside all the time. And I can't tell anyone! What if we swore this to secrecy?"

"Alright," Hermione said, curiosity winning out. "I swear on my magic that I will not reveal what I learn right now."

Jonathon nodded as the magic settled. "It's a book that I think used to belong to Severus Snape."

Hermione gasped. "He was the potions master here before we got here!" she exclaimed. "How ever did you get it?"

"Neville knocked it over one day. It was just on the shelf, collecting dust and…well, the sorting hat was right, Hermione, I've never had to fight for anything I've wanted."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Hermione said. "People would kill to have what you have. A loving home, a committed partner, financial stability…"

"Yes, but," Jonathon groaned in frustration. "I feel like I'm floating, all the time! Like I could die peacefully at any moment! My mother and father treat me like I'm precious because well, I'm their son, but Tom, Tom is on a whole other level!"

Hermione nodded. "So you want something of your own that he doesn't know about. That's perfectly normal, Jonathon."

"I know…but Tom won't see it that way." Jonathon rubbed his eyes tiredly. "You must have heard the rumors that Tom had something to do with Snape's death, right?"

"Who hasn't?" Hermione said. "It was declared the Last Murder of the War."

"Well, Tom won't talk about it at all. Everyone says it came as a total surprise, but if anyone brings Snape up, and believe me, my mother does quite often at the dinner table, particularly at Yule, Tom completely shuts down. It brings up bad memories I think, and I can't figure it out. Sure, he may have betrayed Lord Voldemort for Dumbledore, but Tom loves me…I just, I need to know who he is. It's eating me up inside. Who is Severus Snape?"

"Well, you've obviously read enough of the book to improve your marks in potions. Do you get the sense you know him now?"

Jonathon shook his head. "Not enough. Not nearly enough. I wish…I wish I could know him. But he's dead and everyone I've talked to, even Aunt Petunia, can't give me a straight answer."

Hermione hugged her best friend tightly around the waist. "I wish you luck, Jonathon, and…be careful, please? Tom may love you, but even lovers have their quarrels and well…be careful."

Jonathon smiled at her. "I will, I swear."

-o-o-o-

Jonathon stroked himself languidly in the prefects bathroom, the potions text open and under a protection spell so that it wouldn't get damaged as he took his bath. It was wrong, he knew, so very, very wrong…and yet, he felt that nothing could be more right.

His Prince was marvelous. He invented spells as if it were a second language and every single one of his snarky comments pulled a laugh from the boy. He could imagine Sirius, Remus, and his father running away from the end of the Prince's wand. He loved them dearly, but his mother had accurately told him that they deserved everything they got.

Jonathon had never admired someone so much in his life. Tom was handsome, yes, and Jonathon appreciated him. He could even imagine having sex with Tom once he was old enough…but in the meantime, what was a boy to do? He was forbidden, absolutely forbidden, from engaging in any sort of intimacies with any other students, as if they would touch him knowing who he was bound to—and so Jonathon had no _release_.

"Oh, yes, _Severus…_ "

A dead man, in this world, at least…

Sometimes Tom would get a vacant look in his eyes as he sat by Jonathon's bed. He never spoke it, but Jonathon could just feel that Tom was thinking of another world, one that had Harry Potter in it. He couldn't help but feel unbelievably resentful. Wasn't he _enough_? He wasn't stupid to ask that though, for he dreaded hearing the lies…

"Ah, suck me harder, yeah…"

Jonathon pumped himself, the warm water relaxing his muscles after a long day of quidditch practice. Draco was seeker, but Jonathon made a good keeper. If Harry Potter was alive in another world, perhaps Severus was as well…it made wanking off to him seem more appropriate somehow, less weird than pining after a dead man.

"What was he like?" Jonathon had asked the headmaster once.

Albus almost looked like he was going to cry before he answered. "He was like a son to me, a wayward one who had just returned home, and then, he was gone."

He had asked the same question to McGonagall, but she had only looked at him oddly. "He was bitter, lonely…his best friend was your mother, and your father tormented him mercilessly. He was a great potions master, horrible professor, but I suppose I shouldn't speak ill of the dead…we had a wager every year on who would win the house cup…Why don't you ask your mother?"

It seemed that Severus was simply a lonely, bitter, confused, and brilliantly talented man. Jonathon couldn't understand why that alone would have caused his death…He had even seen photos of him, photos of a young Snape his mother had kept, photos of him in Prophet articles talking of the murder…He was ugly, large nose, greasy hair. He wasn't like Tom at all, and yet, Jonathon was riding the high of his orgasm, imagining those eyes piercing his very soul.

No, he couldn't tell Tom. Couldn't tell Tom at all.


End file.
